We the people of the Blue States of America, in seeking to form a mutually beneficial affiliation, are prepared to take all necessary measures, save the taking up of arms, to remove ourselves from the reach and peril of the following tyrannies:
- The Tyranny of Ignorance
- The Tyranny of Arrogance
- The Tyranny of Intolerance
- The Tyranny of Superstition
- The Tyranny of Self-Righteousness
- The Tyranny of Closed-Mindedness
- The Tyranny of Expediency
- The Tyranny of Ideology
- The Tyranny of Zealotry
- The Tyranny of Rigidity
- The Tyranny of Extremism
- The Tyranny of Absolutism
- The Tyranny of Obstructionism
We hold these tyrannies to be counterproductive to all individual and collective pursuits of happiness. We will not countenance their intrusion into our lives, nor abide any individual or group of individuals who would, of a poverty of humility, or an extravagance of self-certainty, inflict them upon us.
This list of tyrannies crystalizes the conditions under which some communities are living under in today’s political climate. Some of us who live in red states live in fear of our neighbors we had shared bread with and who all of a sudden are flying offensive flags, displaying vile bumper stickers and avoiding eye contact as if for the first time they see us as “others.” The tyranny of intolerance had caused wars, genocide among the same people when someone with an agenda points out differences that were always there but were tolerated. Our diversity enriches our world. We need to embrace it instead of shunning it, caging it, demonizing it. Unfortunately some of us lack the power to stop the intrusion of these tyrannies into our lives and destroy our shot at happiness.
I still believe the United States will remain formally united until they’re all underwater (thanks in large measure to Red State politics!).
If, by the Blue States, you mean those who are in a state of feeling blue because so many of their fellow citizens believe that the social contract is about taking, rather than the give-an-take, let’s tango.
The paradox of living organisms is that they compete for resources by being fruitful and requiring more resources. The Tyranny of Greed, perhaps the Mother of All Tyrannies, expresses this paradox as a human motive.
Cannibalism would seem to be a self-defeating survival mechanism — and the Tyranny of Greed is just the between-meal snack of a cannibalistic approach to coexistence.
Where I’m going with this is that we must teach, reinforce and practice the virtues of equity, generosity, and where needed, charity. Yes, it means that we won’t be living by one of the laws of nature (eat or be eaten). In that sense, it is not natural to be civilized.
That thought-provoking list of tyrannies is a catalog of hurdles on the path to survival for communities of people. There will be stumbles along the way, but there is a path …
We are mammals, after all. We all start as dependent, half-formed critters. Our individual survival requires and receives nurturance and sustanence from older members of our social group. In that sense, we are, by nature, not always selfish. That’s a start.